"I hate to break up this cheerful conversation," quipped Dad, "but it is time for devotions before you head off to school. Rather than reading what I'd planned though, I'll just ask what we can learn from all this information," finished Dad.

After a little thought, Bob said, "If some of the money spent on campaigns was spent on getting clean water, less children would die."

Bob turned to Sue and asked, "What does it cost to dig a well?"

"Let's see," said Sue, digging through her notes. "Here it is; depending on the country, land and conditions it can cost between $5,000 and $15,000 to dig a well that provides clean water to hundreds of people."

"Why don't people just dig wells themselves?" asked Mom.

"What I read," said Sue, "was that people in these areas are so poor that they hardly have enough to eat to stay alive so they can't afford to dig wells."

"That makes sense," said Mom.

"If the candidates spent even half of that campaign money on digging wells, thousands of people would have clean water," said Bob.

"That would certainly be true," said Dad. "But let's ask another question: Are there ways, other than limiting campaign spending, to come up with money to help dig wells?"

After a few seconds of silence, Bob said, "But there's nothing wrong with wanting that new game system at a great price, is there?"

"Or those totally awesome boots?" asked Sue.

"Not directly," said Dad, "but we must guard against greed. Your assignment for the weekend is to find Bible verses that talk about greed."

"This is something we should all think about," said Mom, glancing at the clock. "Right now, you need to get off to school and we need to get to work."

Jesus said in Luke 12:15, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions." As we approach Christmas, these words should challenge our decisions.

Helen McCormack writes the Reflections column every six weeks. Se and her husband, David, serve with Wycliffe Bible Translators.